KOTA KINABALU: The Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) ended 2022 with the seizure of smuggled items including cosmetic products and body slimming pills worth some RM200,000 in the Tawau district.
Under the operation codenamed Ops Pluto Timur, MMEA enforcement personnel found the items after stopping a cargo boat off the district early Saturday (Dec 31).
Tawau MMEA director Capt Shahrizan Raman said they intercepted the vessel some 0.4 nautical miles south of Kuala Sungai Tawau.
He said the boat was headed to the district from Tawau's Sebatik Island, which shares a border with Indonesia.
He said the skipper of the boat was unable to produce the necessary papers for the items he was transporting as well as travel documents.
"A further inspection of the boat led to the discovery of items and products such as batik fabric, beauty cream and body slimming capsules which we believe were being smuggled into Tawau from a neighbouring country.
"All the items including the boat were worth some RM200,000," he said in a statement on Saturday.
Shahrizan said the suspect, the boat and the cargo were subsequently taken to the Tawau MMEA office for further investigation under the Customs Act 1967 and Control of Drugs and Cosmetics Regulations 1984.
He said the Tawau MMEA had recorded 65 cases involving various offences in 2022.
He also urged the public to report any untoward incidents in Tawau waters to the district MMEA operations centre at 089-752 116 or the Malaysian Emergency Response Services 999 number.
